Wallflower
by mockingjosh
Summary: Clare Edwards has always been a Wallflower.  What she doesn't know is that one dark haired boy has been admiring her from afar as she tried to blend in.
1. Prologue

Wallflower

Summary: Clare Edwards has always been a Wallflower. What she doesn't know is that one dark haired boy has been admiring her from afar as she tried to blend in.

Chapter One: Prologue

Clare Edwards has always been a wallflower. Whether it came to her sister Darcy, who, no matter what she did, was always the focus of her arguing parents. Darcy was the outgoing, spunky, vivid beauty of the two daughters, and the mother and father Edwards favored that.

But Clare didn't mind, in fact, she was used to it. Basically, all her life, she has tried her best to blend in, and according to her, it was working perfectly.

That's where she was wrong. Because little did she know, that one dark haired boy had been admiring her from afar as she _tried _to blend in. He hadn't known her for that long. Actually, he had never met her. But the minute he laid eyes on her, he knew she was one interesting girl.

With her long brown haired tied slickly into a ponytail, then pulled over to her right shoulder, her pearly whites, currently blocked by her metal braces, and even behind her bulky, plain glasses, held curious, shining blue eyes, that no one had seemed to notice.

But he did.

He caught onto a lot of things about her actually.

Like when she becomes nervous, she bites her bottom lip, fiddles with her hands, and looks around the room, avoiding anyone's eye. When she's excited, her mouth breaks into a pleasing grin, and her body straightens. Or when she is shocked, her eyebrows rise slightly, making her eyes widen, and her lips would part in disbelief.

Every little trait about her made her more intriguing to him.

And he had heard things. Some good; some bad.

One, she was Christian, like, _very _Christian. Due to that, she wore a rather obnoxious cross around her neck, and a shiny abstinence ring that only added to the pureness of her entire essence.

Some say her sister, Darcy, who had graduated from Degrassi a few years before, was stalked online due to her selling racy pictures of herself to some creeps, had been raped, and then falsely accused Simpson, our current principal, of sexual harassment.

Others say her parents have been fighting, so Clare has been questioning her religion.

Were these rumors correct? As far as Eli knew, yes. Eli knew for a fact that they were. But, did he care? Nope. Not one bit. Because all of these things made Clare who she was, and he loved everything about her. Without any of these things occurring in her life, Clare would have something missing. And he wouldn't find her the same.

Eli wanted to know her. He wanted to find out more about her. Not the rumors, because those are just grains of sand to him, but what made her tick, things she loved, favorite authors. Anything he could get his hands on.

He knew it seemed creepy to like a girl that he had never talked to, but it didn't matter to him. Because he didn't care what people thought about him.

That's why he drove a hearse, wore all black, and applied light eyeliner on his bottom lid every morning without a blinking an eye or a second thought.

Clare had never noticed him. Eli didn't know that, but he still had hope, hope that they would meet, and he would find out every little thing about that blue eyed beauty.

Would he? He'd find out soon enough.

**Sorry if its so short- I tried ot make it longer, but describing things out isnt my forte.**

**PLEASE REVIEW. If you like it, GREAT! If you dont...constructive critisism would be lovely! Thank you c;**

**~CC**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Eli reluctantly awoke to the screech of his alarm clock. Rubbing his eyes, he groaned and sat up, propping himself up by his arms. Once he was fully awake, he smiled to himself.

It was the first day of school, which for Eli, meant the first day of seeing Clare after two months, in hopes that they would have at least one class together. Even though she was now a sophomore, him being a junior, she was outstandingly intelligent, which meant she could still be placed in one of his advanced classes.

His thoughts giving him hope, he pushed himself to his feet, getting ready for his day.

"Welcome back Degrassi!" Principal Simpson was currently standing at the top of the steps, in front of all of the doors. He chuckled to himself, giving him a once over glance. His arms were wide spread on either side of him, stretching out his lean figure. A rather pleased grin was spread across his face, his excitement showing very bluntly.

"Glad to see all of your bright faces today! I see some old ones," gesturing to one general area on his left, "and definitely some new ones…" He continued, eyeing Eli over for a moment, and then realizing he was in fact, a fellow Degrassi student. "With me, Mr. Simpson, as your new principal, there will be a lot of changes here. Big changes- good changes! I assure you, they are rather easy to adjust to, and very pleasant, if I do say so myself." As he spoke, his upper half leaned forward with his words ever so slightly.

"Enjoy this year, I will make it as enjoyable as possible! But for the next 15 minutes? Catch up with old friends! Hey! Make some new ones! See you inside!"

He headed into the doors, and Eli slumped onto the pavement, playing with his nails. Every so often, he would catch himself involuntarily looking up to find Clare. His glancing worked to no avail, considering Clare was nowhere in sight.

It was odd, because Clare was never one to be late. Every morning of the school year before, Eli would be laying on one of the steps reading any novel, 45 minutes before the school even opened, and he would see Clare's car pull up, her being escorted out next to an older girl with long brown hair, with a tan complexion.

His thoughts were interrupted by a giggle. _No, _he corrected himself, _THE giggle. _

He whipped his head to the left, only to find a bus that was unloading buckets of teens. His green eyes desperately searched for the search of the laugh, for Clare.

And then; his heart skipped a beat. His searching had been victorious, for he found Clare, or, a much altered Clare, stepping out of the bus.

Her once long, brown hair had been cut and once straight locks had been curled and dyed with a slight red tint.

Her wardrobe had changed drastically as well. Her catholic school uniform was long gone, and replaced with a pair of flair jeans and a light purple button down top, her green and black bag slung on her shoulder, hitting her hip as they shifted with her walk. Her body had definitely…._developed_, and just the sight of her made Eli gulp.

But the most shocking thing? Her big, beautiful, emotion-filled eyes were no longer being covered by those glasses that Eli posed as unflattering, and only loved them because they were on Clare's face.

She was currently walking towards a picnic table with Sav's sister, Alli, both with amused looks on their faces as they chuckled side by side.

Minutes passed by, and Eli couldn't take his eyes off of Clare. Not that it was unusual, but it almost seemed as if he was so struck by her beauty that he was in a trance.

He almost didn't notice that the bell had rung, but he was slightly broken out of his trance to hear it. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he strut over to the entrance of Degrassi.

"234, 235, 23- AH! Here we are, 237." Eli muttered to himself, finally finding his locker.

As he put in his combination, he couldn't help but notice someone's gaze was on him. He wasn't really sure who it was, but when he turned to the right, he couldn't help but be slightly confused at who the owner of the eyes was.

Adam Torres; the boy who was in his remedial gym class when Eli had broken his leg and couldn't participate in regular gym. They were never friends, I mean, besides a few head nods during class when they caught each other's glance, but nothing more. But, there he was, staring at Eli with his head slightly cocked and his eyes narrowed as if they were focusing.

"Can I….help you?" Eli questioned, a hint of confusion present in his statement.

Adam's thought grew smaller in his eyes, and Eli caught it briefly.

"Oh, sorry!" Adam apologized, shaking his head. "I was just admiring your Dead Hand shirt! I mean, dude! I never knew you listened to them!"

Eli's eyes widened in amusement. He didn't see that coming.

"Wow. I never pegged you as a Dead Hand fan." He chuckled, the amused expression still etched upon his face.

"Dude- I'm not just a fan; I'm a worshiper. I mean, once, I was at the Dot when the _whole crew _walked in! I got them to sign my issue of 'The Goon' and everything! It was epic!"

"_The Goon_? _Dead Hand_? Awe man….where have you been all my life?" Eli bellowed, wrapping his arm around Adam's shoulders playfully.

"In my room, waiting for you…" Adam mocked, placing his hand on his heart.

Eli chuckled and looked down, as him and Adam walked side by side.

"Eli, watch out man!"

But it was too late. Eli unknowingly rammed into a petite figure, his books dropping onto the floor with a loud thud, and the latter's papers flying into the air, landing on the ground in a cluttered mess.

Both figures leaned down to collect there things.

"I am so sor-''

Eli cut himself off as he looked up and gasped.

His emerald eyes were met with bright blue ones, a hint of warmness in them as she gazed at him.

"It's alright…I- I wasn't paying attention either." She chuckled nervously, still collecting her papers.

Once she had her papers in a neat pile, she glanced up at him again.

"I'm Clare." She smiled at him, holding out her hand.

Eli stared at her hand, before carrying his gaze back to her captivating eyes. His mind was going a-wall, rummaging desperately for any sort of response that didn't make him look like a complete idiot in front of the girl he had been enchanted by for so long. She stood there, waiting for an answer, and he continued to wrack his brain. He thought of everything and anything, but only one statement that crossed his mind stuck.

"You have pretty eyes."

**End of Chapter One.**

**How was it? Good? Bad? REVIEW? I am starting to like this story, so please give me some feedback! I'll love you forever.**

**~CC**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Clare Edwards. An indescribable character. Because though Eli had been observing her for years, he never once thought of her personality. Oddly enough, he judged her personality by her outer appearance. Shy, content, and too sweet for her own good. She was definitely _not _that.

Being in her English class, Eli had a pretty good idea of what her personality was. Although, he still hadn't talked to her, he could tell a lot by watching her every day, actually listening to her talk.

I mean, she was too sweet for her own good, but when you make a comment about something personal, Clare puts her walls up, getting defensive about every statement you make.

But when she isn't defensive Clare, she's sarcastic Clare. Always reading with some form of a snarky comeback, she would challenge you on any opinion you made, not giving up until you backed down.

That was unexpected for Eli, considering last year, Clare was known as 'Mrs. Insecure' to her peers. Funnily enough, her new look not only gave her a more confident look, but as far as Eli knew, she had a better inner confidence as well.

Clare's voice interrupted Eli from his thoughts.

"Mrs. Dawes. I don't see how I could've possibly gotten a B- on a report that was all about myself?" Clare asked miserably from behind Eli, making him roll his eyes in amusement.

"Well Clare, though you didn't write incorrectly about yourself," Mrs. Dawes began, chuckling softly to herself, though Clare's face held not one sliver of kid. "You missed the point of the assignment. You see, by writing about yourself, your likes, your dislikes, I would have thought that every essay would hold passion, considering you were _explaining _things about yourself. Your report held none. Just boring words, if I do say so myself." Mrs. Dawes finished bluntly, cocking her head slightly at Clare challengingly, who looked like she was about to explode from her red face and hands clenching the sides of the desk to the point of them turning white.

"So, Mrs. Dawes….how exactly am I supposed to make my writing more interesting?" She asked, trying to shield her anger, but to no avail.

"Maybe what you need is someone to…..oh, I don't know, bounce ideas off of?" she suggested.

Clare groaned, and replied with a, "Sounds lovely Mrs. Dawes."

Eli glanced down at his forgotten paper on his desk, only to find he got an A- for unneccasary describing of words.

"Mrs. Dawes-" She cut him off.

"Oh yes! Mr. Goldsworthy! YOU! You can be Clare's English partner! You wordily describe things with quite the passion, and Clare is lacking that passion that draws you in! This is perfect. You too will be editing each other's work this semester. I think we may have a very special partnership on our hands….like Sylvia Plath, and Ted Hughes!"

She trailed on about the wonders of literature, but Eli caught a smidge of something Clare said behind him.

"Sylvia Plath killed herself." She muttered blankly.

At the sound of that, Eli's torso spun around, staring her straight in the eye as his hands gently gripped the back of his chair.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you too, Blue Eyes."

She blushed, but quickly covered it up with a roll of her eyes.

This is going to be an interesting class.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand!" Clare groaned in frustration, throwing her clutching hands into the air. "How is it possible for me, of all people, to get a B. MINUS." People were starting to stare as she belted out her beliefs on her grade.<p>

Currently, Eli and Clare were sitting at the Dot, being forced to get Clare out of her creative slump, and that was a big job, unless Clare was writing a paper on how to argue about a B- on a report.

"And she knows how hard I work-'' A frustrated Eli cut her off.

"CLARE! I realize that you are upset, and hey! I'm sad for you as well. But moaning about the B- won't make it go away! So just…move on." He stated the last part softly, and Clare's face did the same.

"Fine." She said bluntly. "What am I supposed to write about?"

Eli thought for a moment, and then spoke up. "Something that your passionate about; whether it's an amazing author, world politics, or even something that pisses you off-''

Clare retaliated after cutting him off, "Besides my English partner?" She said smugly.

These were the moments Eli loved; when he had the chance to see the real Clare. The sarcastic yet charming character he cherished.

"Exactly." He retorted sarcastically. "But seriously, I am sure you will think of something when you are at a point in your life when you are going through a lot of sacrifices, or something."

"I guess you're right…surprisingly." She stated glumly, trying to lighten the mood at the end, which worked, considering Eli let out a soft chuckle.

"Hey!" Eli proclaimed, clutching his chest. "You barely know me! Don't go making assumptions on outer appearance!"

"Calm down there, if I was making an assumption on your outer appearance, I would have _assumed_ you were Charon."

Eli laughed, "Okay. Fair enough." He sighed in defeat.

"But really, I don't know you that well. We should do this more often. I mean, you know, going over papers…together…if you want." She stated uneasily, a light blush spread across her face subtly.

Making a bold move, he stood up, moving to stand in front of her as he held out his hand.

"I would love that….milady." He answered, adding a playful tone at the end.

However, instead of her clutching his hand, she stood up, dusting off her skirt, and started walking as she gripped Eli's collar, dragging him along behind her teasingly.

Clare Edwards is oh so much unexpected.

**Sorry I didn't update sooner! I've had A LOT on my plate.**

**REVIEW. PLEASE. I've had many people alert my stories and myself, but reviews are always nice as well! **

**~CC**


	4. Chapter 3

Wallflower Chapter 3

Over the past few days, Eli and Clare have gotten a lot closer. Aside from the snarky comments and entertaining banter, they were actually becoming good friends. Eli's feelings never had changed for Clare, although, now that he has become comfortable with her presence, was better at hiding them, knowing she saw him as nothing more than a friend, an acquaintance if anything.

Which wasn't true. But Eli was too much of an oblivious teenage boy to catch that.

"Eli. Eli. Eli. C minus. And everyone says I'm the one that lacks passion." She snorted, obviously amused. Currently, Eli and Clare were sitting on Clare's bed, diagonal to each other, a myriad of papers surrounding them, as they both sat with their legs crossed.

"Ha. Ha. At least the teacher said my C minus was _still _better than anyone else's essay." Eli retorted, playfully poking her shoulder back.

"Touché. But at least my teacher doesn't give me sympathy." Clare responded, feigning sadness as she pouted her lip, shoving his shoulder.

Before their minds caught up with their actions, they were in a full on brawl with tickling and shoving, rolling around on the bed. The only thing that could be heard was the squeaking of the bed springs and their belts of laughter filling the air, creating a very comfortable setting, not that they noticed.

With one sharp squeeze on Eli's side, he screamed, turning over, causing him to topple off the bed before he could even catch up with what was happening. Somehow, he found himself pulling Clare off the bed with him, but she had landed straight on her back, Eli flopping on top of her, her wrists still in the possession of his hands.

Laughing hysterically, Eli's forehead rested on Clare's, the previous events blocking their minds from the position they were currently in. Clare however, was just grinning madly, her eyes wide. She had never had that much fun, in a while. Looking up at the boy on top of her, her breath hitched as she got a good look at his features.

His eyes were closed, squinting harshly, the shape of them clearly visible, the ends of each one going down as his giant grin pushed his noticeable thick cheeks up against them, his dimples showing like a single cloud in the sky. His hair stuck to his forehead, and sticking randomly as your gaze followed higher, and what wasn't sticking up, was in Clare's face, hanging carelessly. His jawline was pushed into his neck due to their proximity, his nose scrunched. Overall, Clare had never seen something so adorable, she wanted to take a picture to capture the moment, it was too priceless to bear.

Once Eli's laughter had subsided, his eyes slowly opened, and he gazed at the girl below her, only to watch her turn bright red. His eyebrows scrunched together, but her eyes traveled lower to their bodies, and Eli soon caught onto her discomfort.

Placing a hand on either side of her head, he pushed himself to his feet, holding a hand out for her to hold. Her happily taking it, there they stood, awkwardly, as Eli rubbed the back of his head and Clare was busy smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on her skirt. Sneaking a few glances at each other, Eli couldn't help but smack himself as the previous situation played over and over constantly in his head.

He was _so close_.

* * *

><p>The next day, Eli walked into the crowded halls with just one woman on his mind. Clare Edwards. Grinning madly at just the mere thought of her name, he approached his lockers, greeting Adam subconsciously.<p>

"Hey man, what's with the happy disposition you got there? Not like it's a bad thing, I'm just not used to that…." He trailed off playfully, causing Eli to chuckle.

"I'm just…happy. I don't know. I guess I woke up on a good side of the bed this morning." A hopeless love sigh escaped Eli's lips as he finished his sentence.

"Clare's bed, perhaps?" Adam asked suggestively, winking obnoxiously.

Eli glared at him, causing Adam to let out an abrupt snort.

"No. We are just friends. Nothing more. Nothing less." Eli explained.

Adam puffed his cheeks, squinting his eyes at Eli suspiciously. Adam began to walk backwards, that same look etched on his face. Once he had passed the corner, Eli sunk into the locker, blowing his lips in desperation.

Sitting after a minute, he stood up, opening his locker. A note fell out, down to the ground and Eli lazily went to snatch it.

_I need to ask you something. Dot after school?_

_-Clare_

As if he thought he couldn't get any happier.

* * *

><p>Eli walked into the Dot, his head held high in confidence.<p>

Spotting Clare in the window, his eyes lightened at the sight of her smiling as she daydreamed. He wondered what she was thinking about, but he was even more curious about what she wanted to ask. Maybe she wanted to speak about their study date, and how she had feelings for him. Whatever it was, Eli couldn't wipe his smirk off of his face.

Hearing the bell chime, Clare glanced up, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Eli!" She yelled, waving her hand. He nodded his head, sitting down across from her.

"Hello Edwards."

"Hey."

There was a comfortable silence that fell between the too, but Eli felt as if there was a lingering question in the air.

"So, you needed to ask me something?"

He seemed to have shaken Clare out of her own thoughts.

"OH! Yes. Yes. Okay, so; I'll be blunt here. I like this guy."

Eli felt his confidence get the best of him. "Oh, do you...well, who is this Casanova?"

Clare blushed, "Well. He's cute. I feel like he really gets me, you know? He's intelligent, yet has a sense of humor, and can always bring me to a better mood when I'm down."

Every word out of her mouth was bliss to Eli.

She continued, "And I brought you here to ask you…" she paused, as if trying to collect her words, but this pause only made Eli shake in anticipation.

She opened her mouth, and the pressure was lifting. Eli's thoughts flashed through his mind. Does she like me? How will she word it? Oh man, I wonder what Adam is going to say when he finds ou-

"What do you think of KC?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ouch Clare. Whatcho problem. Why you no love Eli? <strong>

**Okay, well. Like? Love? REVIEW. REVIEW. RE-FREAKING-VIEW.**

**Lolol. But I'm sorry if I didn't update. Again, my plate always seems to be full. BUT DON'T FRET. **

**~CC**


	5. Chapter 4

Wallflower

Chapter 4

**I am so sorry it took me so long! School's been more hectic than EVER. I have all advanced honors classes – worst part? Eli isn't even my English class! I know I know, terrible news. But, i finally updated. Tell your friedns about **_**Wallflower! Spread the word. **_

_**But now? Read. Relax. And most importantly? Enjoy.**_

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><p>The cold breeze of the air blowing through the window was the least of Eli's worries as he lay on his bed. Utterly disappointed and his confidence at an all-time low, the previous situation that had gone down at the Dot was on a continuous role in his mind.<p>

"_He seems…cool." Eli said uneasily, the disappointment etched on his face very clearly, him not making any move to hide it, he was still too shocked to comprehend._

"_Cool? I don't quite get what that means…" Clare questioned, chuckling nervously as she picked at her blueberry muffin. _

_Once Eli had calmed himself down a bit, he realized he needed to put his walls up, so he tried to lighten the mood._

"_Well, I don't really know him—usually, I don't go for the basketball stars, I'm more of an 'artistic chick who doesn't shave' kind of guy." He replied, trying his best not to scowl just at the subject of KC Guthrie. _

_Eli lied when he said he didn't know him. Well… kind of. Not knowing him personally didn't mean he didn't know what he did. KC was the school's Number 1 sports star, and every girl fawned over him. He definitely used this tactic to his advantage. Never once committed to a relationship, Eli was terribly shocked to say the least._

_She chuckled, "Well, thank you, still, for giving your honest opinion on him. Do you think that I should make a move?"_

_He saw the look of hope in her eyes, and Eli felt nauseous. "If he makes you happy, go for it." He was almost certain that she had heard the quiver in his voice. _

_Placing her hand over his on the table, she stated softly, "You're a great friend, Eli."_

And that was it for him. Clare liked someone else.

_You're a great friend Eli, _he thought bitterly. But it all made sense; he didn't and would never deserve to be in a relationship with Clare. She was amazing, warmhearted, and he was the biggest outsider there was.

Did his feelings matter? Did it matter that he spent all of his time thinking about her?

No. Because life isn't fair.

* * *

><p>He walked down the hallway reluctantly, searching for Clare. The nausea returned as he saw Clare talking animatedly to KC, who was leaning against a locker, eyes squinting in interest. Her hands were waving from side to side, eyes popping out dramatically, and the scenario was making KC chuckle.<p>

Eli strutted by silently, trying to go unseen. Every footstep meant he was that much closer away from them, and that was where he wanted to be. He was conflicted, to say the least. He wanted to be with Clare more than anything, but she had straight up told him that she liked another guy, and he had to painfully hide his feelings inside. Did he want to be happy, or did he want to make the girl he adored happy? He wasn't sure if KC took any romantic interest in Clare, but she was amazing, and Eli came to the conclusion that all odds were against him, and he subconsciously sighed in defeat.

"Eli! Hey, I didn't see you there!" Clare's voice echoed through his ears, and he knew that any negative, bitter thoughts towards her had been dropped at once, even if he had no recollection of it; he was swooned.

Her footsteps gently sounded, and he swiftly turned around. "Morning Edwards." He winked, making her smile softly.

"How are you? You seemed a little off yesterday, at The Dot… anything you wanted to talk about?" Her eyes narrowed in concern, her voice softening even more than usual, and Eli found the situation making him elated.

"I'm fine, honestly. Yesterday, was…a bad day, to put it lightly. Don't worry about it." He sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. She leaned into his touch a bit, and Eli was taken aback.

"Alright…" she trailed off, her eyes now narrowing in suspicion. "Just making sure, seeing you upset is very odd; you're always so elaborate." She laughed.

Smirking, he replied, "Good to know you care about me." He stated smugly, earning him a smack in the shoulder.

"But really, if you ever need to talk, feel free to come to me, I don't care if its 3 am, I care about you." Clare said, and the conversation suddenly turned serious.

"Same for you." I nodded towards her, and she smiled appreciatively.

The bell rang, interrupting their conversation. "English?" Clare questioned, offering her arm to him.

He nodded, "English." And then mockingly wrapped his arm in hers.

* * *

><p>"BEAT YOUR ZOMBIE ASS, ELI!" Adam declared, jumping on the couch. "Bow down, I'm victorious, and the crowd is cheering…<em>Adam! Adam!<em>" He sang happily, putting his hand on his ear.

"Alright, alright, calm down machismo." Eli mocked, and he sat down reluctantly.

"Fine, fine. Why'd you invite me over again? I mean, I don't mind… your cool and everything; just wondering." He questioned.

Eli sighed, "Clare was busy with _KC." _He tried not to grimace at saying KC, but knew that he failed miserably, because Adam belted out laughing.

"Oh man, you are so love sick, it isn't even funny." He managed to choke out, only to return to his fits of laughter.

"It obviously is." Eli spat out, referring to his current state.

He seemed to have noticed Eli's discomfort, and Adam slowly stopped his hysterics.

"Sorry man, just…you're such a sap." Adam stated, stifling a giggle.

"Alright, alright. I get it, I love Clare. She loves KC. Let's move on with our lives, shall we?" Eli groaned, knowing that facing reality was rather difficult.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up – Clare does _not_ love KC. I see the way she looks at him. It isn't one of those loving, caring gazes; it's the giant, oogly eyes because he's 'dreamy'. Honestly, this thing Clare had for KC is a petty crush, I wouldn't think anything of it; we've all had those!"

"I hope you're right…." Eli trailed off.

Adam continued, "And have you seen the way he looks at her? Not lovingly, not dreamily, not even like she's a piece of meat, if anything! He looks at her dully, like she is just a grain of sand on the largest beach on earth. You know he's a player, Clare is just way too naïve to think that she's any different—''

"She _IS _different!" Eli snapped, cutting him off.

"What I was going to say, before I was oh so rudely interrupted, was that she's any different to _him_. She is different, but KC is too much of a babbling idiot to see that."

Eli nodded his head, still feeling slightly speculative.

* * *

><p>Trying to balance a pencil on his nose was not how Eli pictured his Friday night. In fact, he didn't really know what to picture, but he certainly knew it wasn't this. Cece and Bullfrog had left to go to some radio event, leaving Eli alone. In the house. While it was pouring rain.<p>

He pushed himself off his bed, walking down the stairs groggily. He trudged into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of cold pizza he had had for dinner earlier on, when he heard the doorbell ring.

Chewing violently on his pizza, he opened the door, and he almost choked at the sight before him.

Clare Edwards.

Soaking wet, eyes red and puffy, a frown on her lips, hair plastered to her face, holding her shoes in her hands. He stood there, in complete shock. Finally, she spoke.

"Can I take you up on your offer?"

* * *

><p><strong>OMG! Clare is talking to Eli! Yep, that's right! She ran out of milk, and is very upset about it, so she walked across town in the rain just to get some. All joking aside, that was chapter 4! Did you enjoy?<strong>

**WILL YOU REVIEW? I sure hope so.**


	6. Chapter 5

**IM BACK. I hope this is a good chapter, I think so. It's a little lengthy, so you're welcome.**

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><p>Wallflower<p>

Chapter 5

They sat there, on the opposite sides of the room. Eli was on Bullfrog's recliner, while Clare was on the side of the couch farthest from him.

Eli was awkwardly whistling as Clare sat there in complete silence, staring.

Eli didn't know why she had come to his house, or even what she meant by her previous statement, _"Can I take you up on your offer?"_ After that, she had just stormed into his house without a second thought, although Eli didn't mind.

"Do you know what it feels like to be on top of the world, all the confidence gathered up inside you, as you walk through the doors, feeling like… like nothing can stop you?" Clare finally spoke, dramatically at that. Emphasizing words with her hands, and the occasional stutter and slur when speaking too swiftly, she was an emotional wreck.

"Actually, I do." he breathed, because he honestly knew where she was coming from.

What she described to him was exactly how he had felt when he went to meet with her at the Dot, though it seemed like ages ago, was only yesterday.

She seemed appalled, obviously her emotional state causing her to believe that she was the only one who had ever been through pain.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I walked into Little Miss Steaks; head held high, a confident grin on my face…and I saw him, and Jenna, kissing. I was so stupid. Here I am, thinking, he liked me… please! It only makes sense though, I mean, I was just his tutor, but we were really close. In fact, I think he enjoyed my company! Just yesterday, I had been telling him this story about one of my Fortnight books, and he seem-"

Cutting her off, he calmly stated, "Clare…I'm sorry, I really am. But why are you coming to me? Don't take that the wrong way; I like that you trust me….but what about Alli?"

A sad smile spread onto her face, which confused Eli slightly. "You just…I don't even know. I just, _can't _talk with Alli about things like this. She'd tell me nothing but _'You're too good for him!' _and _'What on earth is he on if he turned this down?'" _She finished, causing Eli to chuckle softly, and Clare followed, snorting loudly.

After a minute, the laughter died down, and they looked up at each other. The eye contact; the slight smile creeping onto Eli's lips; Clare's flushed cheeks…made them laugh all over again, belting out howls of amusement. They honestly didn't know what was so funny about the situation, but it didn't matter to Eli, and it certainly didn't matter to Clare. Eli was the one place she could go to get her mind off of everything, everything except Eli of course. He was her light at the end of the tunnel, and she couldn't have asked for a better person in her life. This brought her to a scary realization. And when her laughter subsided, Eli's shortly followed, for a different reason though. He figured her mind had finally set on the fact that she was upset, causing her laughter to end abruptly.

"That was fun." Eli grins, staring at Clare in admiration.

She lets out a worn out giggle, "It's good to laugh, helps you live longer." Eli nodded his head in agreement.

A comfortable silence fell between them, and Eli took time to really look over Clare. Her normally flushed face, aside from the laughing, was visibly pale, dark circles etched under her eyes, which were lifeless

Eli felt empathy washing over him, and he quickly distracted himself.

"Let's go out."

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><p>"-and I swear, up close, they were <em>freaking <em>amazing. You could see the sweat dude! Oh man, it was epic." Adam rambled on about meeting Dead Hand at the Dot, and although Clare hadn't been into the band until Eli had introduced them to her, she still seemed interested.

As Adam got livelier into the story, Clare would lean forward slightly, elbows on her knees that were in front of her and hands intertwined, eyes squinting and nose scrunching as something funny was said.

Currently, the trio was sitting against an old oak tree at an abandoned park. Eli had invited Adam because he knew that Clare' sadness wouldn't give him an attitude adjustment; he'd still be as lively and active as usual, and Eli was eternally grateful for this.

His thoughts were interrupted by Clare's soundly laughter, and Eli smiled internally, making a mental note to thank Adam later.

"So Clare," Eli interrupted smugly, "I take it you like your new friend, Adam. Am I right?" He smirked, and she smiled in response.

"Actually, I do. What's not to like?" She rhetorically asked, winking at an oddly crestfallen Adam.

"Got me there, Edwards." She chuckled, while he just smiled, and a silence fell over the three, causing Adam to clearly his throat abruptly. Dusting off his knees, he climbed up from the ground, walking about five feet away from Eli and Clare, and lay down on his back, sighing loudly as he did.

The two across from him shared a confused look, there expressions mirrored with pursed lips and brows furrowed.

Eli was the first to move. He got up, and joined Adam on the ground, with a sigh like his friend had. Tilting his hand slightly, he motioned for Clare to come and lay on the other side of him.

"Whats wrong, machismo?" Eli asked sincerely. Adam said nothing, but his facial expression changed to one of hope quickly after these words.

"Whats wrong," Adam spoke miserably, breaking both Clare and Eli's hearts, "is me." He said bluntly. None of the three spoke after this, Clare and Eli still a little bit confused as to what that statement had meant.

"What you said, about 'what isn't to like about me', hit a nerve. There is plenty not to like about me. I'm a pig when it comes to eating and cleanliness, I'm loud, and very awkward, I speak the truth when someone may need to hear it, but yet, I'm not who you think I am. I haven't told you, because once one person knows, everyone knows." Sighing exasperatedly once more, he rolled around, so he was now lying on his stomach, face in dirt.

Clare rests her hand on his lower back. "Knows…what, exactly?" She asked, and Eli could detect a clear hesitance in her voice.

"Knows that I'm transgender."

Two heads turned towards the head in the grass, but only one spoke.

"Cool." A voice stated, no frightened or judgmental tone was heard.

Adam's head shot up, a full on grin on his face, and he attacked Eli with a warm hug, and Eli spotted a loving smile on Clare's face.

The hug soon broke, and all three of them sat up in a triangle, Clare gripping Adam's hand.

"I wouldn't think anything different of you, Adam. You don't have to change who you are to be accepted, everyone else has to." She spoke genuinely, earning an appreciative smile from Adam.

"Alright, well this is depressing. How about we all go home—and let's say, old indie film movie marathon at casa de Goldsworthy, shall we?"

The two nodded, and Eli had a feeling that this was turning into a wonderful friendship.

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><p>Adam knocked on Eli's front door obnoxiously, and it opened swiftly. "Thank you kind sir." Adam joked.<p>

"May I take your coat?" Eli winked, and gestured for Adam to enter.

Clare had entered soon after, a stack of movies in her hand, and set them aside next to Eli's movie pile. Minutes past, the trio gathering blankets, getting comfortable on the couch, and arguing over what movie they were going to watch first, finally agreeing.

The movie started, and Eli shot up. "Popcorn." He stated, a determined tone in his voice.

Adam and Clare chuckled, and continued to watch the movie, occasional sniffles and laughs were the only sounds besides the movie.

"He really likes you, you know." Adam whispered, breaking the silence, and Clare felt as if her whole body was on fire.

"I like him too. He's a great friend." She whispered in response, avoiding Adam's gaze, but to no avail, because soon he was grinning like a mad man.

"Friend my butt. I see that flirting, it's disgusting. Trust me, just... that's way more than a friendship is all I'm sa—"

A shrill scream cut Adam off, and Clare jumped from the couch, throwing an "I'll check on him" to Adam.

She walked into the kitchen to find Eli with him thumb in his mouth, his other hand clenched in a fist.

"What happened?" She gasped.

"Burnt myself on the butter." He chuckled breathlessly, and Clare sighed in relief.

"Big, strong man, huh?" She replied smugly, getting him and ice pack.

Grabbing his free hand, she led him to sit on the high chair at the bar, and he held out the injured hand.

"Alright, so just hold this onto the burnt spot." She looked up at him, gulping at the proximity of them, and Eli's eyes were intensely fixed on hers.

He wasn't pushing himself to make a move, but he surely wanted to.

And she certainly didn't see what happened next coming.

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><p><strong>LOL. My computer broke so I couldn't write or update! SO SORRY.<strong>

**REVIEW.**


	7. Chapter 6

**OH HEY. So yeah, I am back—again, sorry for the lack of update… but hopefully no lack of review? **

**Hm…. So I like this chapter, I think you may as well…. WINK WINK ;)**

**ALSO! Review my oneshot "When The Day Met The Night" FLUFF.**

**Enjoy, dear readers.**

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><p>"We're home Eli! Brought chicken and a whole stack of Billy Idol CD's for you to lis—whoa…Who is this beauty?"<p>

Eli and Clare quickly separated, and the latter scurried across the room, gripping the counter behind her as she tried to steady her breath, mind fluttering at the remembrance of her and Eli's proximity…

She took a glance at the sight in front of her; a middle aged couple had just burst through the front door of Eli's house. The woman, clad in leather and spandex, had a chicken roast in her hands, while the man, a little bit shabby and scruffy looking, held a stack of CD cases that went up to the bridge of his nose.

Although, Clare, who wasn't really sure who these people were, she felt very overwhelmed, yet excited with their presence.

Eli however, knew very well who rather odd pair was.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Clare; Cece and Bullfrog… my parents." He mumbled sheepishly, glaring at his parents for their very eccentric entrance.

"The…Clare?" Cece mocked in awe.

"The one and only… we've heard way too much about you." Bullfrog snorted, and Clare felt flattered, "That's me," Clare smiled nervously, "So nice to meet you."

Before Clare even knew it, Cece had enveloped her in a hug. Bullfrog smugly grinned at Eli.

"That one over there, she is a keeper. Got a nice rack," he winked, walking in to the living room after setting the CD's down on the counter. "Video game kid!" he exclaimed, and Eli groans. So many thoughts swarmed into his head, and he feels dizzy. He wonders what would have happened if his parents hadn't walked in on him and Clare, and how he would have done anything to get that moment back.

He's a coward, and he is very aware of that.

"I'd be delighted if you would stay for dinner, dear!" Cece persuaded, and every possible conversation that could occur during that dinner erases all rational thoughts in Eli's mind.

He stands there, visibly annoyed, but when Clare touches his arm, his guard is let down completely.

"This should be fun," she grins mischievously, and Eli pulls on his hair while playfully glaring at her.

"Just… be prepared." He warned, and Clare simply shrugged before turning back to talk to Cece.

.

.

.

.

Clare expected a calm dinner, with occasion filler questions about her hobbies and things, but Eli knew his parents all too well, and was practically shaking as Cece set the food down.

Everyone sat for a moment, and a roar of conversation overtook the air.

Eli wasn't ever participating in the discussion, he was simply observing.

He and Bullfrog sat on either end of the table, and Adam, (who had promptly agreed to stay) sat next to Eli, across from Adam was Cece, who had Clare next to her.

As Eli looked at her, his heart warmed at the sight of her being so…comfortable around his parents.

As Bullfrog told one of his rather animated stories, Clare listened intently, fingers entwined under her chin, elbows on the table, and she had stopped eating entirely so he could have her full attention.

Occasionally, she caught his eye, grinning, she winked and focused all attention back to Bullfrog.

Eli decided to tune into the conversation. "-I know your average Joe wouldn't peg me as a Beatles fan, and I'm was never totally swooned with them, I'm still not, but I mean, when you are standing a mere _five feet_ away from the legend that is John Lennon—I just, who wouldn't freak out?" Bullfrog sighed loudly, and Eli realized he was telling his infamous story of how he ran into John Lennon outside an art exhibit.

Clare chimed in, "I've always been quite the Beatles fan, personally I always thought that Paul was the most fascinating—the deep emotion hidden in every word he sings…" She trailed off and sighed lovingly, and Eli was shocked; he never knew she had known all of this stuff, let alone that she actually listened to them, didn't seem like her type.

But then again, had he not learned to never underestimate Clare Edwards?

"Paul? Don't get me wrong, I—he's wonderful, but most people idolized John; he was a trendsetter without even trying! Mr. Lennon changed the world—he wrote most of the songs anyway… And when you think about all of his popular songs that changed the world, Imagine, Hey Jude… the deep meaning behind _those _songs… just wow. I can't even- just, he's an idol." Bullfrog's eyes were wide, and he couldn't find any more words to say.

Clare had a passionate look in her eyes, and it was a beautiful thing to look at.

"And he says he isn't a swooner…." Eli shook his head playfully and winks at his dad, who throws a potato at him.

"Watch yourself—if it wasn't for me… you wouldn't be here right now." Bullfrog retorted and Eli groans, covering his ears.

.

.

.

.

"Clare's a lovely girl…" Cece said absentmindedly as Eli helped her wash the dishes. Bullfrog, Clare and Adam had gone into Bullfrogs 'man cave' to check out his full CD collection, and the myriad of album covers he had signed. Eli glares at her, dropping his sponge into the water violently.

"MOM. She's just a friend, nothing more, nothing less." He said simply, avoiding her eyes, as he picked up his sponge and continued to scrub.

Cece grinned, "I have no idea what you're talking about… just said she was lovely. Very deep, Bullfrog certainly took an interest in her."

Eli stopped scrubbing and turned to his mom. "I… I really like her."

Cece's eyes softened and she smiled, "I know Babyboy…. She's wonderful. I like her too." She winked, and turned back to scrubbing.

Eli groaned, and he realized he seemed to be doing this a lot lately.

.

.

.

.

"_I see your pattern, and I can match it. Just chase the lines of your paisley jacket!"_

Adam belted the lyrics swiftly, nodding his head and playing the air guitar, which occasionally bumped into Clare's arm, and she giggled and rolled her eyes.

The three of them had squeezed into Morty and Eli was currently driving them home. At first there was silence as he drove, but Adam didn't like that, and this is where they ended up.

"Adam, you wonder why Drew plugs his ears whenever you walk into a room." Eli complained as Adam continued to coo the lyrics. Though he loved Dead Hand, Eli decided it just wasn't enjoyable when Adam was obnoxiously ruining the song. Clare looked down at her hands, laughing as she picked at her nail polish. "God Adam, you were squirming in your seat so much, you stepped on my shoelace and pulled it loose." She mumbled, and Adam chuckled, "Don't hate, alright."

He leaned over Clare's body in whispered into Eli's ear, positive Clare wouldn't be able to hear over the music. "Which is why you're dropping me off first," He winks, and Eli catches on immediately.

Eli pulls up to Adam's house and Clare teasingly shoves him out of the car.

"Bye Adam, try not to break anymore eardrums," She yelled through the window, clearing her ear with her finger.

"Eh, no promises," he grinned, and walked into his house.

Eli started driving again, and silence fell between them.

"And then there were two." He said awkwardly, glancing at her quickly.

She laughed, then said, "The first quiet moment I've had all day. I honestly am not even upset about KC anymore, you know." She stated, and the conversation was now serious.

"Hm," Eli pondered, "And what brought you to this conclusion?"

Clare looked pensive for a moment, took a deep breath, "I realized that I didn't really like him, I just was looking for someone to like because I was trying to get rid of other feelings." She said, taking a quick glance at Eli. "I seem to be changing courses a lot lately." She laughed nervously, suddenly interested in tracing the designs on her skirt.

"I see. Well, whatever decisions you make… I'm always here. Just remember that—I am the best cheerer-upper that ever lived." He stuck his head up smugly, earning himself a slap in the arm.

"Good to know…" she trailed off, and Eli pulled up to her house.

"Bye Clare, see you Monday?"

She turned to him, her face unusually red. "Um, no… we should hang out over the weekend. I mean, if you want to…"

_Did he want to…. Is that even a question?_

"Of course, just text me whenever, my life is pretty dull anyway." He laughed.

She pulled in to give him a hug, his arms wrapped around her slightly before he went to pull away, but she didn't move. She winced.

Her hair was caught on one of the buttons on his jacket. "Oh…Crap sorry!" he panicked, weaving her hair through the button carefully.

Then, out of nowhere, Clare leaned up… and kissed him.

It was brief, short, but oh so sweet, and his mind was in such a whirl he was dizzy. Her lips were so soft, and he found himself craving more, but held back.

He hadn't even realized he got the hair out until she pulled away, her face bright red, "Goodnight, Eli."

She stroked his cheek, leaving the car, and waving once before walking into her house, leaving Eli more dumbfounded than ever before.

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><p><strong>SO…. Whataya think? I LIKE THIS CHAPTER.<strong>

**Review? THANKS. **

**I love you guys, positive feedback is wonderful c:**


	8. Chapter 7

Wallflower Ch. 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi.**

**HI. Well, I hope you liked the last chapter. I REALLY wish I could update more, but alas, my life is very hard—as many of you may have encountered as well. **

**HOWEVER; I would like to point out that I absolutely LOVE all of your reviews; they make me positively giddy inside.**

**I know that there are many stories, and I am not a great writer, but it's good to know that some people are in fact enjoying my pieces.**

**With love, CC. Enjoy the chapter.**

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><p>The ceiling. It was white, and was slightly textured, so maybe, if you focused long enough, you'd be able to spot something. Maybe when you would lie down to go to sleep, you'd see a little design hidden in the specks.<p>

Unfortunately, Eli had no such luck. Sure, he was staring at the wall with such intensity, that if it were a person, they would have been long gone. But he wasn't focusing on any design—No. He felt dizzy, and it seemed as if his mind had disconnected from the rest of his actual body. Though it hadn't, he felt as if he were flying; perhaps…any other insane, world lifting scenario you could put him in was exactly how he was feeling.

Clare Edwards had kissed him.

And not only had she kissed him, but she had initiated it. Eli always had this worry that when they hung out, he would just jump out of his seat to lunge and kiss her, and she would push him off hastily and deny him from all contact because they were _only friends._

He knew how that felt, and he certainly didn't like it.

But she kissed him. Eli knew girls, and he knew that they sent mixed signals, so his mind was in a complete whirl.

Was it spur of the moment? Was it to thank him for getting her mind off of KC? Was he a rebound from her feelings for KC?

He scoffed, frankly because he had no idea how to answer any of those questions. The only person that could answer that was Clare.

Eli certainly didn't want to get his hopes up by assuming that the reason she kissed him was because she actually had feelings for him; that would only lead to heartbreak, and he knew from experience.

To say he was confused would be the biggest understatement ever made. She toyed with his feelings, played the 'Just Friends' card, kissed him and left him in an instant, and most importantly—made him into… _this._ This sap that actually cares what people think of him. He was utterly disappointed with himself, because he had made a pact when he was younger that he would never let a woman have this effect on him.

Boy, would 5 year old Eli be ashamed of his future self.

Eli wasn't going to play games with her.

But, he is confused. Only this, yet so much more.

.

.

.

.

.

She kissed him. She actually kissed him. Clare banged her head into the wall repeatedly, the scene reminding her faintly of Harry Potter and the house elves, but she was too shocked with herself to even take the time to laugh about it.

Sliding down the back of her door, she took her face into her palms and rubbed her eyes hastily, stretching out her forehead. She had had a headache all day, but now, she felt as if something was hatching out of her skull.

She didn't even know why she did it. Hell, in her mind, she thought she liked KC. He was cute, funny, laughed at all her jokes, and she laughed at his. Wasn't that the foundation of a good relationship? She wasn't so sure anymore.

She had enjoyed it too. And she didn't want to stop.

But what made her want to kiss Eli? She thought hard, reminiscing as she hopelessly tried to ignore her beating head.

He was too close, two times in one day. On top of that, Clare couldn't stop drooling at the way he looked today, and she was positively confused. He must've gotten a haircut or something, maybe he pushed it to the side… but to her, he looked more shy and vulnerable—and she found it adorable. His eyes were in clear sight, his face slightly rounder than she was used to.

Realization snapped. She thought of all of those times that she and Eli had been _just too close_. And how when he told a joke and she laughed loudly, he would just… _admire. _ She smacked the back of her head against the door, groaning as her mother yelled, "Clare! What on earth are you doing up there?" though she didn't expect an answer. Pissed off at herself, she came to an abrupt conclusion.

She liked Eli. And he certainly liked her.

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"Hi." Eli didn't know how he ended up at her front door that very next morning; but then again, here he was. He wasn't going to play games with her—he wanted answers.

With one eyebrow raised, she replied, "What are you doing here?" And it came out a lot harsher than she had intended.

Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she looked as beautiful as ever, but Eli thinks he had caught her at the wrong time—because she was certainly not in a good mood; and he would be damned if it was about the kiss, considering she kissed him.

"I- we need to talk." He blurted, putting his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth as he looked straight at her, trying to shade all emotion from his eyes as he watched her face harden and eyes squint questioningly.

Eli's prediction was clearly correct when she scoffed, "Is that an order, or do I get a say in this?"

Still, he tried to remain calm, and not scream at her for being so hot and cold with him. "Well, I figured you may want a say, but I am certainly not liking your attitude. We're going out—go tell your mom."

Eyebrows raised, she said nothing, but backed into her house and grabbed a jacket.

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><p><strong>Very short, I know I know.<strong>

**THAT'S IT FOR NOW GUYS. I've had a rough week, my love life is pathetic and my grades are lacking.**

**WHY DOES NO ONE LOVE ME!**

**If you love me, REVIEW.**

**~CC**


	9. Chapter 8

Wallflower Ch. 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi.**

**Hello, dear readers! Thank you so much for the lovely responses I received on the previous chapter— I'm glad it was well enjoyed. Anywho, here is chapter 8! I hope you enjoy.**

**UPDATE:**** I have been thinking about doing a one-shot based on one of those sappy stories on the website **_**"Love Gives Me Hope"**_**. I have many ideas, and I may do more than one! But please read and review if and when these one-shots do get posted.**

**I hope this chapter is a winner.**

**EDIT: This chapter got deleted off of my computer, which pissed me off to no end (if you had read any of my other posted fanfics—check them out—then you would have known and read many times that my computer was an asshole) so I had to rewrite it; the first one was beautiful, lengthy and wonderful. Now? I absolutely and utterly hate this to no end! Please, do not flame this haha, for this is probably the most terrible chapter I have ever written. **

**Enjoy? LAWL NOT. **

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><p><em>Squeak.<em>

_Squeak._

_Squeak._

Clare flinched each time as she heard the unpleasant noise coming from the marker Eli was currently using to color his nails. As agitated as she was, she was also seriously confused; Eli had dragged her here to this abandoned park, and now he wasn't saying a word to her. He just sat there, on the bench opposite to her, and drew violently on his fingernails.

She wanted to slap him—why was he sending these mixed signals at him? She had certainly not done _a thing_ to deserve this kind of treatment. _Not like I sent any mixed signals_, she thought bitterly, scowling coldly and quickly his way, though he didn't see.

She had been a wonderful friend to him, and when she realized that her feelings were stronger than friendship, she went for it. She knew she didn't deserve this… this _disrespect_ towards her in any way; Eli was just being extremely selfish, and she was going to put him in his place.

"Are we going to talk?" She spat, venom infused in her voice that caught Eli off guard. He glanced up, tearing his eyes hastily away from his hands to look at her.

He squinted his eyes accusingly, "What is your problem?" growled Eli.

Clare's eyes widened, "My problem?" She seethed angrily. "You want to know my problem—I am the victim here! I have done nothing wrong, yet, here we are, sitting here with you yelling at me. Please, just enlighten me. Tell me why you brought me here."

Eli's eyes widened in disbelief. "You have done noth- Clare! You've been leading me on throughout our entire friendship, only to crush my hopes and tell me you had feelings for KC. Please, just don't even pull that on me, because even if you weren't aware of it, you've done plenty wrong." He stated emotionlessly. He couldn't believe—he couldn't fathom the concept that she had absolutely no idea about his feelings, and more importantly, that she was sending him extreme mixed signals.

Meanwhile, Clare's mind was in frenzy, and she was confused to no end. She had had no idea he had feelings for her—was she the only one who hadn't seen it? She shivered when he said this, and uncomfortable heat arising upon her face at that moment, and she was confused to why. Clare still hadn't totally established _her _feelings, and was extremely overwhelmed at the moment. Her mind was desperately searching for something, anything to reply with, but she couldn't think of anything. An over-analyzer she was, nothing she said (in her mind), would lead to a terrible ending. _"I had no idea." _Would lead to a conversation on all of the ways she had unknowingly led him on, making her feel terrible. _"I don't know what to say." _Would lead to Eli yelling at her, yelling his feelings on how much she had hurt him; and etcetera. Either way, she didn't know how to respond, and she soon realized that she had been staring off into spaced with a forced look on her face; deep in thought, and Eli was scowling at her, angrier than ever.

"I think this is where you are supposed to say something." He stated glumly.

She shook her head out of her thoughts, and spit out the first thing that came to her mind, "Why didn't you tell me?" She choked, and Eli opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. "I mean, really! If you liked me, all you had to do was tell me. Why?" He squinted his eyes, and laughed darkly.

"Why didn't you tell KC." He deadpanned, stating this more as a statement than a question. He knew how Clare would respond to this, and it made her look like a hypocrite. Under normal circumstances, he would have never done this to her—embarrass her in any way; he would defend her and go easy on her. But now, he was searing with wrath, his body shaking. His emotional standpoint was off the charts, and his mind was whirling.

Clare hadn't thought of that. Why didn't she tell KC? Thinking for a minute, she came up with a completely logical answer. She didn't tell KC that she had liked him because they were friends. They were friends and if she told him, it would ruin everything. He wouldn't like her back, and they would spend the rest of their high school years in awkward, uncomfortable silences, sorrowful stares and frowns. All of their inside jokes, funny stories and cute moments would go down the drain, and if she brought one of them up, during that _one moment _that he spoke a word to her, he would stare at her, making her look extremely desperate. She didn't want that; she didn't want him thinking that everything she did was because she had liked him—because she didn't. Aside from her feelings, they were also friends, and she knew how this was going to end—the "one best friend likes the other one who finds the relationship completely platonic" phase. She didn't tell him because they were perfectly fine with the way they were, sharing jokes, talking during class, being known as the two in class who spent the entire class sitting next to each other and just laughing; the teachers having to place them at two different sides of the room just so they would be quiet and focus on the lecture, though it didn't stop them from mouthing things when the teacher wasn't looking. She didn't do all of those things because she liked him, because she thought that he was cute. He had an easy-going personality, and she found that relaxing and appealing. She spent time with him because he was fun, and made her laugh. And though so many others made her laugh more, she was blinded by love (or, whatever she had been feeling throughout that), a crush more like it, and everything that KC did made her like him even more, not even knowing she was just preparing herself for heartbreak. She didn't tell him that she liked him because she knew that it would ruin everything, and it would be all her fault. She didn't want another bad memory on her shoulders.

Clare stared at him softly, "I didn't tell him because I knew our friendship would never be the same if I did." She whispered, and he nodded.

Eli stared at her with his big eyes, "Exactly. You know what it is like to be in that place—those conflicted feelings you encounter every time you are with this person. It's…" he trailed off painfully, and she finished for him by adding, "…horrible."

And there it was; out there in the open, just waiting to be further discussed.

"But, I also didn't tell him because I was confused. About my feelings for him, and you and-"

Eli cut her off. "What feelings for me? From my recollection, we were just friends, correct? You liked KC?" He spat smugly.

Clare tried to form her sentence correctly. "I- I wasn't sure! I mean, you're a year older than me and I never thought that you'd like me like even as a friend, let alone like that… but KC was my age, and he seemed to really like me… he was an easier target." She summarized briefly.

"Easier target? So we were both just… choices for you?"

"No! No, Eli… I figured that he had a bigger chance of liking me than you did—from my perspective—so I decided not to tell you about any lingering feelings… to be honest, I wasn't even positive on them for a while."

Eli looked confused, "Can you keep to one story please? One moment you are saying that you have liked me when you liked KC, and now you're saying you weren't sure about your feelings for a while? I don't know what to believe." He sighed.

Clare smoothed her hand over her face slowly. "Can we not, get into specifics? It's hard enough to form rational sentences at this point, so can we please not make this even more overwhelming for me?"

Eli scoffed, "There we go with the selfishness! Overwhelming for you? Imagine being me, receiving all of this information from this girl that I have had feelings for almost 2 years, and having to process normal and rational sentences. Cry me a river, Clare; seriously."

Clare felt terrible as she processed these words; she, in her naïveté state, was too busy about her own life to worry about anyone else's.

"I'm sorry." She spoke sincerely, tears almost coming to her eyes as she realized her selfish actions in the past.

Eli was taken aback by this sudden sincerity, and he knew she had come to her senses. "It's okay; I forgive you."

Clare frowned. "You shouldn't."

"But I do. Why dwell on the past if you've learned your lesson?" he pondered, before continuing uncertainly, "You learned from this… right?"

Clare nodded violently. "Yes."

Eli smiled, "Good…. Then what does this mean, for us?"

Clare looked pensive, and then responded, "Why don't we just… see where this takes us."

Eli shrugged, but his eyes showed complete happiness, "That could work." He winked.

They sat for a moment, absorbing everything that had just gone on, before Clare spoke up.

"This is weird." She said.

"It is, but it's nice." She nodded in approval, and Eli grabbed her hand as they became lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>So, sorry if this was short… but, I got it done! *crowd cheers* So just a little extra info.—that whole conversation Clare had with herself about why she didn't tell KC, let's just say that was from a VERY personal experience. I think this was a complete fail, but please, good reviews?<strong>

**I spent some time on this, trying to get this fight right... but I hope this was good!**


	10. Chapter 9

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. Frankly, I am sorry for not updating, but it is the holidays, and I am a known procrastinator; it's literally my profession. Anyway, I am not really sure where this story is going, as far as plot line. I do not want to be one of those authors that just drones on with their story, making the characters just go through many irrelevant situations (to name no one in particular), but I just personally do not enjoy reading those types of fanfics. Could you quite possibly tell me anything you may want to happen, and I will take it into consideration of how I am able to write it, and see if it is doable. If not, you can also suggest perhaps, future story ideas? Ones that have meaning, and a plot and climax etc.; not just a mindless rant. And to squeeze this in, because I honestly never do and I feel as if I am going to get arrested for leaving it out, I do not own Degrassi; I just own Justin Kelly. In my dreams. Barely. **

_**Anyway, **_**please be lenient when it comes to this chapter, because right now I have absolutely no vest for writing, but I owe it to you (although, I certainly did not appreciate the 3 reviews last chapter received—I mean, I know it was rough, but damn! Way to lower my self-esteem there). **

_**Two weeks later**_

"You know, you could have gotten your own, greedy little devil."

Eli glared playfully as Clare licked his ice cream cone; she had insisted that she didn't want one at least three times to him, and now, as the two sat outside of the Dot, she was humming greedily as she stole his vanilla cone.

It had been a couple of weeks since the fight the two had shared. That day, they had agreed to slowly take their relationship status as 'friends' to the next level. Over the two weeks, the two had been very close; whether they were studying, hanging out, or when Eli took her out on what he liked to call "romantic strolls to restaurants where he happens to pay", but Clare would just scrunch up her nose and laugh, correcting him with a sly, "date".

Both of them were now skating on thin ice when it came to the "what exactly are we at this point" topic, and ironically, they both ignored it as much as possible, trying to avoid more drama. Even if the two hadn't declared themselves a couple and weren't referring to each other as boyfriend/girlfriend, it didn't stop them from the oh-so-obvious flirting, and stealing kisses every now and then.

"Well, that would mean I wouldn't get to steal yours." Clare winked, and Eli chuckled in response.

"Oh, I see now; there's no fun otherwise." Eli droned sardonically.

"But of course."

She continued licking the cone, and Eli's eyes avoided her mouth to ensure that no unneeded thoughts would come to mind.

"You know, there is something I've been meaning to bring up… just a thought that came to mind, really." Eli spoke hesitantly.

Clare stopped licking for a moment, and looked at him with a curious expression.

"I know we aren't really…" he gestured between them, and no other words had to be spoken. Clare nodded awkwardly, not knowing where this was going. "But, I feel that, you're more… _connected_ with me and my life, than I am with yours. A-and I just feel like, because we've been getting closer, that I could maybe… be introduced to some of your… _life's necessities?_" His voice rose dangerously high at the last words, and Clare looked down bashfully; feeling embarrassed for him.

"You mean, you want to meet my parents."

"That would be nice." Eli choked out, and Clare smiled, grabbing his hand from across the table.

The smile never ceased to amaze him, and even with her hair blowing all over her face and a slight amount of vanilla ice cream on the corner of her lips, Eli still felt dizzy at the sight of it. It wasn't at all foreign, she smiled all the time; just usually, Eli was so overwhelmed with her presence, her voice, her aroma, her touch… that the smile turned him into complete putty at her feet.

"I see what you're getting at," Clare laughed, and he felt slightly relieved she didn't feel he was being pushy.

Gazing up at her through his lashes, Eli began, "It's just… you've met my parents, and though it wasn't a planned thing, I- you know, am I making a big deal out of nothing?"

Clare grinned, tracing circles on his hand, "Hm… possibly, but I guess it's okay."

Eli let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and looked at Clare in admiration, before leaning towards her and kissing her gently, catching her off guard. Usually, though they both initiated the kisses, it was more like a shy, planned through the eyes type of thing.

Flustered, Clare responded sweetly, and when he pulled away, her face was bright red.

Eli smiled hesitantly, "Your face is on fire," he stated, placing his hand over her cheek, "Did I say something wrong?"

Clare shook her head, "No… just, it's a bit chilly… huh?"

A flash of suspicion appeared in Eli's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and before Clare had time to think, Eli was kissing her again.

**XXX**

Clare entered her house dreamily, and closed the door behind her. Noticing her mother was cleaning the counters, she suddenly remembered her conversation with Eli, and used the situation to her advantage.

"Mom?"

Helen turned around, and smiled at her daughter. "You look awfully bashful; where were you?" she questioned happily, and Clare took this as a green light.

"Actually, that is what I've been meaning to talk about with you…" Helen looked curious, and Clare went on, "I've been hanging out with my friend, Eli… and I was wondering if he could come to dinner tonight, with you… and dad?" Helen's smile was wiped off of her face, and replaced with a mix of a scowl and a frown.

"Clare… I don't mind that you are close with this boy… which oh by the way, we will have a whole other conversation about later; but your father and I, despite our efforts, would make a terrible first impression…" She trailed off, and Clare was surprised that her mother had been so upfront about the fighting.

"Mom… Eli, he won't care. As long as you try, he'll appreciate it. He _knows _about the fighting." Clare added the last part bitterly, and Helen's eyes widened, but she said nothing.

With a defeated sigh, her mother looked up. "Fine. But don't be upset if things don't turn out well."

Clare grinned cheekily, "Thank you… he will be so happy."

"But, I think we do need to talk about this boy."

Clare's smile dropped, impatiently sighing as her mother looked at her seriously.

"What exactly do we need to discuss?" Clare asked, trying to keep her voice from seething.

Helen pondered for a moment, "Are you two… dating?"

"Not… exactly."

Gasping, Helen yelled in disbelief, "Clare Diane Edwards!"

A confused look was etched upon Clare's face, and she wondered why her mom was yelling. They weren't official, so they weren't dati-

"Mom! Ew, gross. We aren't," she lowered her voice, though it was only the two of them in the house, "-sex buddies!"

Helen sighed in relief, and Clare couldn't believe that her own mother thought that she may have been in that type of relationship.

"I- I'm sorry, Clare. What did you mean, you weren't exactly dating?"

Clare rolled her eyes, "What I meant, was that we like each other, and we've kissed…" Clare trailed off, her face becoming hot as she reminisced on all of the sweet kisses they had shared, how his lips were soft yet chapped…

"Is he… a good boy? Smart? Treat you right?"

Clare smiled. "Yes, he's a straight A student, in my advanced English class…. He is very kind to me; chivalrous."

Her mother grinned weakly, and nodded. "O- okay. Then, if he meets my standards in person… he has my stamp of approval." She winked, and walked up to her room to grab a towel.

Clare huffed, sighing in appreciation as she leaned against the wall.

**XXX**

"-I mean, he was crazy. And you should have seen the look on the assistant's face when he put the snake on the desk. That Alice Cooper is one crazy fu-"

"Dad! My phone is ringing, could you put a sock in it?" Eli groaned, checking under the couch cushions to find the source of the obnoxious ringtone.

"You're just upset because you haven't seen Clare in an hour." He chuckled, and Eli finally found his phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you alright? You sound out of breath."

"I- uh… No. I am fine. How are you? Why did you call?"

"Oh! My mom said you could come to dinner tonight!" Eli could practically see the grin on her face.

"That is great, Clare! Thank you."

Clare sighed. "You're welcome. Just… prepare yourself. My dad is going to be there."

Eli laughed, "Oh no… Am I going to have the 'bring-a-boy-home' interrogation?"

"No, Eli, no. They're fighting again, remember?"

Eli wanted to kick himself for momentarily forgetting that. "I'm sorry. Are you sure you want me there? I don't want to make it any worse…?"

"No… it's better that you come, they have to see each other without fighting sometime. Just, thank you."

"Oh. Okay, well great. I'm really excited."

"Me too, Eli. See you tonight."

"I- Bye, Clare."

Eli was left with the sound of the dial tone, and he sighed dramatically, dropping onto the couch.

"What's wrong lover boy?" Bullfrog teased, and as Cece descended from the stairs, she scolded, "Leave the boy alone, he's in love! Can't you see it?"

Taking a seat next to Eli, Cece grabbed his hand, "What did she say?"

Eli rolled his rested head away from his mother, and said, "She's inviting me over to meet her parents tonight."

"And is that a bad thing?"

"No!" Eli answered quickly, "I actually suggested it…. It's just, that's serious. It means, _we're _getting serious."

Cece made a tsk noise, "I see. Are you scared? Or just… overwhelmed?"

Eli thought for a minute. He wasn't overwhelmed; spending time with Clare was like air to him, and the fact that he was meeting her parents just enhanced his time with her… But, was he scared? He thought about how terrified he was at the idea of them getting serious and breaking up…

"I think… I'm scared. But, she's different. She's worth it." And that was that.

**XXX**

**I wasn't sure if I wanted to make this a long chapter and include the parent meeting in this, but I decided against it. I hoped you enjoyed this… I liked writing this chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello again. I felt like writing today, so I did! This will be an early update (well, early for a procrastinator…) so, I am thoroughly excited. Anywho, I feel this is a topic I need to bring up—I mentioned this briefly in last chapter's authors not, but to expand on it; wherever this story ends up going plot wise, it will have to come to an end eventually, yes? So, when it does, I want to know from YOU whether you want me to start a new story (if so, submit ideas!), continue on my short 'One Last Chance', to continue on 'Lover of the Light', or to just stop writing all together (kidding!... I hope). But, I feel like I have a decent to seemingly decent amount of people reading, so feedback is appreciated. Thank you and I just wanted to say, I do not own Degrassi. **

**OH! And, I feel this chapter is a winner. Hope you enjoy :) **

"Mom, I'm going out real quick before I head to Clare's for dinner, alright?" Eli shouted from down the stairs as he slipped on a coat.

He was rubbing his hands together almost violently, the friction making his arms tingle. Though it was not even that cold outside, it seemed to sooth him— distract him.

Suddenly, a click of heels violently smacking against the floor was the only thing he could hear—Cece was running down the stairs, and when she came to a stop in front of Eli, her eyes were wide.

"No, not alright! You have," she looked over at the clock, "a little over an hour and a half until you meet Clare's parents; you need to get ready! You need to impress—I picked out a suit for yo-"

Eli waved his hand nonchalantly, dismissing the subject. "I'll be home in a half an hour at the latest. And… no suit."

"Oh, you're wearing that suit."

"I'm leaving now," mumbled Eli, scoffing.

"Do you have your phone with you?" questioned Cece, and Eli knew had a feeling that it would take him a half an hour just to get out of the house.

"Yes, mother dearest." deadpanned Eli, turning the handle on the door.

"Oh fine," huffed Cece. "Where are you going anyway?"

Eli smirked amusedly, turning back to glance at his mother. "Let's just say… I'm meeting the one person who is the best at giving me girl advice."

**XXX**

"You're meeting her parents?" snorted Adam, a bit of his iced tea spewing out of his nose and onto the table.

Eli looked around the Dot hastily, embarrassed of Adam's outburst; the last thing he needed was to draw attention.

Adam swallowed his drink, quickly gobbling up some fries as he stared at Eli.

"Don't laugh, I did suggest it…" groaned Eli, his cheeks a bit pink at Adam's reaction.

"Wait, you suggested it? I don't follow… Why do you want to meet them?"

"Thought it may be fun…" murmured Eli, turning his head away quickly.

Adam, however, caught onto this quickly. "Smooth; very convincing to a total stranger, but what is the real reason?" he said.

Eli rubbed his temples, sucking in a breath than blowing out dramatically. "I just thought… that if I met her parents… I don't know—we would actually get together. Or something."

Adam seemed pensive. "Does she know that?"

"Um… not exactly; she thinks that I want to meet them because she knows more about me than I her." Smiled Eli guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Mr. Goldsworthy… tsk tsk! Is this manipulation I sense?" teased Adam, and Eli tensed, his heart seemingly stopping. He wondered if she actually thought that; I mean, he didn't at all intend for this to be some manipulative scheme in order to win Clare over… but maybe… it looked that way to everyone else?

"Eli, I was… kidding. You don't have to blow it up." Chimed Adam, who had quickly noticed the mortified look etched upon Eli's face.

"I- sorry. Just a little tired," laughed Eli sheepishly.

"You nervous?" Asked Adam sincerely, and Eli's walls fell down violently.

"I don't know why I should be—I mean, I was the one who had suggested it in the first place… why should I be nervous? I should be happy, this means our relationship is progressing, and we are finally getting closer to her, and if her parents like me, that's like the best thing that could possibly happen tonight right? Does that mean that she'll like me more? Whoa- wait… what if they don't like me? What if they think that I'm… I'm _bad _for her. What would Clare do? Oh, man… she would freak ou-"

"Eli!" squealed Adam, cutting Eli off. "Ranting on with the 'what ifs' will not change anything! You are _you_, Eli, and if you actually have confidence in yourself, and oh dear, I am going to sound like a women's gossip magazine, you will achieve what you want," finished Adam, his face red.

"You're right," stated Eli bluntly. If he wanted to impress Clare's parents... he would just be himself. Of course, meeting anyone's parents you may have to enhance or decrease a few details… but, he would certainly try to make Clare's parent's accept him, and give him the approval to be with their daughter… in future situations.

"Aren't I always," winked Adam. Checking his watch, his eyes bulged—"Eli! It's 5:30!"

Shit.

He had an hour before he needed to meet at Clare's house. Cece was going to freak.

Eli rapidly searched for his wallet, throwing a dollar bill for the tip haphazardly, darting out of the door.

**XXX**

She was _brushing_ his hair. His mother had him sitting in front of her vanity, and she was brushing his hair. Her brush smelled like shampoo, and Eli knew he was going to walk into the Edward's house smelling like his mother.

"He deserves this," Cece had snapped to Bullfrog.

When Eli had walked through the door, Cece's usually calm demeanor was completely out of character; she was in a rage, and Eli knew something bad was coming. Though Cece didn't use punishment like grounding and taking things away, she often used revenge like tactics.

Now, his mother was hastily brushing his locks, tugging harshly on the knots, ignoring Eli's whines.

She stopped brushing, and told Eli to stand up. He was currently wearing the dress shirt, which was unbuttoned and had one side tucked into his dress pants.

Cece had just retrieved the blazer jacket and his tie from her closet, and set them on the bed as she helped him button up his top.

"So," she started, beginning to button the bottom button, "how are you feeling? Nervous?"

Eli was slowly tucking in his shirt as she buttoned, responding with, "I _feel_ like I'm going to vomit."

Cece laughed, "Go on, and tell me what you're thinking."

Eli slowly, fixed the shirt, adjusting the collar.

"It's just, I care about her so much, and I know that her parents mean a lot to her… I don't want to mess it up… like, what if I say the wrong thing—the parents hate me; and she hates me because the parents hate me! I just… it's a lot of pressure."

Cece went to grab the tie, and Eli took a peek in the mirror; as much as he didn't want to admit it, his hair looked awesome, and he wanted to smirk thinking about Clare's comment on it, _"What's with the hair all done up, drag queen?"_

She put her arms behind his head, placing the tie around his neck, and Eli adjusted the collar up, making the tie fall into place.

"Don't you think… that maybe Clare was thinking the same thing when she met us?"

Cece began tying the tie, and Eli lifted his neck to give her space.

"It's not exactly the same thing," chuckled Eli.

"And why is that?" questioned Cece, silently cursing as she incorrectly knotted the tie, and Eli helped her untie it to begin again.

"Because you and dad aren't exactly… like her parents. At all."

"How so?"

"Well, taking in the consideration that they are strict, Christian parents who raise their kids by teaching them things about the world and people that make them naïve, and you guys are… who you are; I'd say you guys were pretty different."

Cece bit her lip, pondering as she carefully tied the tie again, Eli making sure he gave her plenty of room, staying still.

"Still," she began, "she was meeting the guy that she like's parents… it's pretty nerve-wracking."

Eli was suddenly very inquisitive, and as Cece carefully pulled the knot towards the collar, he asked, "Mom… did Bullfrog's parents not like you?" put Eli gently.

"Well, it's not that they didn't like me… they just didn't approve of us together. But you know Bullfrog, took caution to the wind and told them that he didn't need their approval to date me… and I didn't need theirs either. Of course… you aren't your father…. So please do not pull that tactic." Winked Cece, reminiscing.

"So, do you think that Clare was as nervous as I am now?" mumbled Eli, feeling suddenly very vulnerable.

"Probably. Here, what is something that you are most scared of tonight?" said Cece, pushing Eli's hair out of his eyes, and adjusting his outfit.

"That… they'll judge me. And Clare will start to believe what they say… because they're her parents." Admitted Eli skittishly.

"There. I bet you that when Clare met us, she was thinking everything like that… slut, whore, skank… you name it. Because girls think like that."

"Alright mom. You're right. You are always right." He sighed.

"I know," smiled Cece cheekily, grabbing a lint roller and rolling it on his suit.

"Tell me about Clare," she said suddenly, and Eli felt his face go red.

"Well, she's smart. Most of our conversations actually consist of books..." he trailed off, noticing that his mother was looking at him fondly.

"She's… spunky. And she's fun… cares too much about what people think, you know? But she'll do anything to be right. It's one of the many reasons why we butt heads." The tenderness was clearly displayed on his face, features softening, and unknowingly using that voice. That mesmerized voice… where they get real quiet, and it's almost as if they are reminiscing every situation that they had encountered. A small, sweet smile was etched upon his face as his lips kept moving, but Cece thought that this young love was adorable.

"-and she's beautiful… you know? I feel like, whenever I look at her… my heart stops. When she looks at me—I can, I can feel my face just go red. She's the only person that makes me want to… to scream and sing. Maybe simultaneously! I don't know… but…" Cece took the lint roller and placed it on the vanity.

"I don't think you've ever been this cute. I love in-love Eli."

Still dreamily smiling, Eli had no response.

She placed on his jacket as he slid his arms through, and Eli smiled sincerely at his mother.

"There," sighed Cece, "You're all ready."

She stepped back, taking in Eli's full form. Eli groaned when he saw her eyes water as she 'awed', yelling for Bullfrog who was downstairs.

"You look so cute! Look at him—they are going to love you!" sang Cece as she danced happily, and Bullfrog rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay. I need to go now." Whined Eli, and after 5 minutes of convincing Cece to stop taking pictures of him, he headed out the door.

**XXX**

He had probably flattened his pants down one hundred times, and as he slowly approached Clare's door, his legs were wobbly.

Eli tried to remind himself about his talk with Adam, and how he had nothing to worry about, but nothing seemed to calm the nerves.

He adjusted his tie, reaching up to knock the door.

The door swung open immediately to reveal a bright eyed, flustered Clare.

"You're here," she breathed, smiling genuinely up at him, and he grabbed her hand to try to stop himself from falling over.

"I'm here." Grinned Eli, and Clare laughed.

"I- uh, come in. My dad is changing and my mom is cooking."

When Eli finally got a look at Clare, his entire body went hot, and he couldn't believe how beautiful she looked.

She wasn't even wearing anything fancy. Just a headband, her normal amount of a makeup, which is a smidge, and a small flowing navy summer dress.

Maybe it was the way she was smiling… it was like, she was glowing. He wondered if things were going well with her parents.

Clare turned back to look at him, and Eli, sweating with wide eyes, managed to choke out, "You look… beautiful, Clare. I- yeah. Stunning really."

To say her face was red was an understatement.

"Thank you." She twirled the edge of her dress between her fingers until Eli grabbed her hand, using his other to pull her close by the waist.

He didn't know why, but he had the sudden urge to kiss her, and considering her parents were out of sight, he figured that this was as good a time as ever.

His nose brushed against her cheek, his hands resting on her lower back.

"You look great too. I cannot believe that _my _Eli Goldsworthy is wearing a suit."

When the word 'my' was said, his lips were on hers. His kisses were slow, and soft, pulling her body closer to his with each. Clare was shaking in his embrace, her hands placed on his upper back, right near his shoulder blades.

Both of their faces were on fire, and Eli felt it was one of the tenderest moments they had spent together.

"Ahem."

Eli and Clare pulled away quickly; Eli's back hitting the wall quickly as Clare fixed her dress continuously.

Randall Edwards was descending from the stairs, hands in the pockets of his slacks, a scowl on his face as he looked between the two guilty teens.

"Hey, hi dad! This, um- this is Eli." Clare introduced awkwardly, and Eli knew that she was probably extremely embarrassed, as was he.

"Hello, Eli." Randall greeted dully, and Clare glared at him.

"Good evening, Mr. Edwards," grinned Eli.

The three stood, all diagonal to each other.

Clare cleared her throat. "Let's head to the kitchen… shall we?"

Eli nodded, and gestured for her and Randall to go first.

Clare quickly grabbed onto Eli's clammy palm, and she smiled when she felt it trembling, obviously amused.

**XXX**

"So, Eli—Clare tells me you two are English partners?"

Plates were full with chicken parmesan and spinach, Eli sitting across from Randall, and Clare sitting next to Eli and across from Helen.

"That is correct," he smiled at Clare's mother, "she is one of the smartest, even though she's younger. Honestly, I don't know where my writing would be without her editing." Laughed Eli, and the rest of the table followed suit.

"Have you met Eli's parents, Clare?" questioned Randall.

"Yes, my friend Adam, Eli and I were hanging out at Eli's house when they came home. We ended up having dinner together."

Helen grinned towards Eli, "Well, I think we should arrange another get together with them. Wouldn't that be great, Clare?"

Grabbing Eli's hand, she said, "I think that is a great idea."

"So you were alone with two boys in a house?"

All three heads turned to Randall, who had a sincere curious yet suspicious look on his face.

"They're just my friends, dad."

She gave Eli's hand a reassuring squeeze, making him feel at ease.

"Well, my fatherly instincts tell me otherwise. Helen they were kissing when I walked down the stairs."

Helen glanced at Clare, smiling mischievously and winking.

"They like each other dear."

Eli looked over at Clare, and Clare followed suit.

And there it was. That look in his eyes that made her want to fly, to run up and kiss him until his lips fall off.

Randall just nodded towards Eli. "Okay, but no funny business."

Eli stuttered nervously, "I- uh- absolutely not. Sir."

"You hurt her…"

"And I will personally beat my own tush."

"That won't be necessary," chimed Clare, and Eli's eyes softened as he looked at her.

"I like you, Eli." Helen stated, and Randall nodded in agreement, lifting huge weights off of Eli's fragile shoulders.

Eli smiled eagerly at Clare, and she touched his arm tenderly, obviously pleased.

**XXX**

"I believe that went rather well," said Eli, kissing Clare's cheek for the umpteenth time.

They were currently lying in the back of Morty, both on their sides as Eli draped his arm delicately on her side.

Eli always marveled at how intimate the position was; they sat this way when they read to each other, when they edited work, when they were upset about whatever they had gone through—he felt closer to her in that way.

"Eh…" Clare trailed smugly, and Eli kissed the smirk off of her face.

He pulled away, and she put her hand on his cheek, her thumb tracing back and forth soothingly.

"I've been thinking…" Clare started, and Eli feels anxious suddenly.

"Yes?"

"I feel like we've been skipping around this, and I'm tired of it. I think that we should be together. Because I like you. A lot."

"Spoken with confidence, Edwards. I like it!" Eli chimed, and he smiled at her, pulling her close by her waist.

Their noses nuzzled, and Eli felt so sappy, but it didn't matter.

When Clare kissed him, he felt whole, as cheesy and cliché as it sounded.

Her lips were soft, and it made him dizzy. It was almost like even in her most confident moment, she could still be so shy when it came to kissing him, and Eli found that adorable. She didn't usually show signs of vulnerability or weakness, but when she did, Eli felt infinitely closer to her.

And when she pulled away, her face bright red, eyes bluer than ever, and lips slightly swollen, it gave Eli some sort of pride seeing the joy in her eyes.

"Want to hear something cheesy?" Clare mused, her face still close to his.

"Sure," Eli grinned.

"Now, it's true, but I just feel so cheesy and cliché saying it."

"Clare. Spit it out."

"Are you sure you won't j-"

"Clare!"

"I'm falling for you."

**WOOP WOOP. Yep, I did just end that right there. Um, so I think this was good? It was freaking long, but good, and please forgive me, I love reading fluff, but I can NOT write it, and my kissing scenes are awkward. But, review, enjoy, and thank you for the feedback from last chapter, you beautiful people.**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello, friends. Alright, so I put off writing this chapter because I literally thought that the ending for last chapter was a good, smart, cliffhanger way to end it, making me giddy. I posted it, read your responses, and then I said to myself, "Now how am I going to do the next chapter?" And I began thinking of different ways to do it. I feel like I should do this to be a couple of days later, or the next day etc. (note that I am writing this before the chapter, so I am basically just rambling to myself, and… to you). Let me take a shot at this, and please tell me if you think that I should have done this differently or not. **

**This story will probably come to an end soon, but, although I haven't been writing this story for the reviews, it would be nice to make it to 100? Just a thought; honestly, if I didn't, it would not faze me… but, if it's possible, it would be appreciated. **

**Any last minute ideas you have for this story or new stories? Thank you.**

"_I'm falling for you."_

_To say Eli was shell shocked would have been an extreme understatement; he knew that their relationship was progressing, and he was certainly ready for it, but he always felt as if his feelings were stronger than hers. This statement proved to Eli that… well, she wasn't too far behind from him._

"_Oh…that's…." _

"_Oh?" gasped Clare, her voice cracking._

"_Well, not 'oh' as in like, '_oh_ oh'," Eli quickly corrected._

"_Thank you for clearing that up," yelped Clare sarcastically._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_So, what exactly does 'oh' mean…"_

"_I- uh, I'm not sure what to say… not very good at this relationship stuff; contrary to popular belief," mused Eli, adding a sardonic comment to his statement._

_He continued, "I mean… I certainly feel the same! Don't get me wrong. I just, wasn't expecting that."_

"_Oh." _

_Eli started shaking. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The night had been perfect, even better than he had originally planned. Now, everything was ruined… she hated him._

"_I get it…" said Clare. "You don't have to lie to me… I'm a big girl, you know. I can take a hint. You obviously _don't _feel the same… it's okay. I'll just be going now."_

_Clare sat up, but Eli grabbed onto her wrist gently, tugging her back down._

"_Eli, what ar-"_

_He kissed her softly and sweetly, his thumb grazing her cheek. _

_Eli could feel how she was responding hesitantly, and he wished he had planned this out better. But, instead of freaking out and overthinking like he usually does, he simply wrapped his arms around Clare, pulling her closer as she began to relax._

_Eli pulled away, his forehead rested on hers. "Honestly?" He pulled back slightly._

"_You freak me out." _

"_Wonderful, Eli."_

"_No, that's not what I mean. To word this better, you make _me_ freak out. My feelings, my actions… everything."_

"_Is this your way of saying you love me?" she winked teasingly, but before a blushing Eli could respond, his phone rang._

**XXX**

"Thanks again for interrupting last night, jackass."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"Petty problems," he groaned. "I just wanted to know how it went. C'est tout."

"Well, you couldn't have waited until today?"

"Well, excuse me if I figured my _best _friend would have been finished with his date by 9:30 at night!" huffed Adam.

Eli shoved his friend into the counter of his kitchen, causing the latter to squeal as a glass of orange juice spilled onto the floor.

"Smooth, my friend," spat Adam, grabbing a paper towel to soak up the juice.

"You deserved that," scowled Eli, looking down at Adam, who was on his knees cleaning up the spill.

"And last night went rather well; impressed the parents; had a nice dinner; Clare told me she was falling for me; you know… nothing out of the ordinary."

Adam stopped scrubbing entirely, looking up to grin at his friend.

"Well machismo," he laughed, standing up. "Looks like things are going in your favour lately, huh?"

"Guess so," shrugged Eli, feeling giddy.

"Wait—hold the phone. She said she's falling for you… what did you say?" questioned Adam, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Ha," laughed Eli, gulping. "I said… oh." He put bluntly, nodding his head with his own words.

"_Oh?_" Adam chuckled, "Clare must have been positively thrilled!"

"Not exactly," droned Eli. "She was upset. But, I explained that I felt the same way. Crisis averted."

"As if she needed anymore reassurance."

"Har har, Adam. You slay me."

"That is the general idea."

Eli sat down on a high chair in Adam's kitchen, but Adam stood by the counter.

"So, enough about me. What's going on with you? Any special lady friends I should know about?"

Adam turned a bashful shade of red, averting Eli's eyes. "Nah, I'm not really into anyone right now."

"I could not believe you less."

"Fine, if you're going to push, I'll stop the shenanigans. It's Katie. Katie Matlin."

"Like, President Katie Matlin?"

"That's the one and only."

Eli grinned at Adam's shy demeanor. "Well, I wish you the best of luck. Does she feel the same?"

"I'm not sure, hasn't really come up in conversation," deadpanned Adam.

Eli couldn't stop smiling. He wasn't sure if it had to do with the fact that Clare and he were going fantastically, or the fact that Adam was having a great social life.

"Well, I just want to let you know that you can come to me anytime you want; I mourned on and on about Clare… I owe it to you."

"Good to know I have my love guru here with me," chuckled Adam.

Eli laughed with him, picking at his nails. "Hey, what time is it?"

Adam glanced briefly and the clock on his stove. "Almost 1, why?"

Eli jumped from the chair. "I'm meeting Clare today." He ran to the door, putting on his jacket.

"Of course you are. Don't let me interrupt your lovers' activities."

Eli looked back at Adam, and spotting the smirk on his face, he realized that his friend was joking.

"Bye."

**XXX**

"_-Edgar Allen __Poe attended the University of Virginia...until he had to drop out due to lack of money,"_ read Clare, and Eli observed her with warm eyes_. "-It seems that Poe had a gambling problem, and his foster father got tired of bailing him out."_

Eli grabbed her hand from the middle of the table, "This is really interesting and all," he grinned, "but I think Poe can wait for a while, huh?"

Clare glared playfully, "He can wait as long as he wants, taking in the consideration that he's dead. But, we did come here for a reason."

They were sitting at a table in the local library, which was virtually deserted except for the overweight librarian sitting at her desk, filing her nails briskly.

"Yeah, yeah. Study. But, I can already recite the entire poem, _'The Raven'_, so what more do I need."

"Well, for starters, you need to know the basic structures of-"

"-once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary-"

Clare giggled, "Okay, I guess we can take a break for _a little bit_."

"Yes mother," huffed Eli.

"You be quiet," she scolded, and Eli laughed, throwing a sticky note at her.

"Adam never treats me like this," said Eli, feigning sadness as he puffed out his lower lip.

"Oh, speaking of Adam, didn't you see him today? How was he? I feel like I never talk to him anymore."

"I'm flattered that you're so interested in my life."

"I just saw you yesterday."

"Details, details."

"But really! What's been going on with him?"

Eli sighed, "He's good. I even got his crush out of him."

Eli regretted telling her this at once. "Aw, who is it?"

"I don't know if I should tell you…"

"Hey. I am one of Adam's only girl friends—he was bound to come to me for advice anyway."

"Fine. You know Katie?"

Clare rolled her eyes, "You mean overbearing, loud, sassy, too-good-for-everyone Katie?"

"Yes… you don't like her?"

"I'm sure she is a great person, but in the work environment, she is one possessed demon."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"She doesn't like me either. I challenge her; I'm too dramatic; my stories lack interest and talent…. The list goes on."

"Adam mentioned her a while ago, said she was pretty critical. Don't take it personally."

Clare snorted, "I shouldn't take criticism about myself personally? Thank you for the keen advice, Dr. Phil."

Eli glared teasingly, "Don't diss."

"I'm sorry," pouted Clare.

Eli scooted his chair closer to Clare's, and he smiled softly as he brushed her bangs away from her eyes, then placing his hand onto her cheek.

"You're so pretty."

Clare's face was on fire, he could feel it. This was surprisingly the first time he had straight out complimented her looks, besides last night, for an event.

"Thank you," she grinned shyly, "you're pretty too."

Eli laughed, but he knew she was just trying to get the attention off of herself.

"No, seriously, you are the type of woman that I like to call, _pulchritudinous_."

"Is that some type of fungi?" scowled Clare, and Eli sighed in adoration at the confused look on her face.

"No, it means an extremely beautiful woman," said Eli gently, rubbing her cheek with his thumb as he made eye contact.

"Learn something new every day, huh," choked Clare.

"I suppose so."

"Have you ever noticed that there's no song that describes how much a lover adores their spouses nose?"

Eli coughed, "What?"

"I was just wondering; it's true."

"Guess I just learned something new," he smiled, and Clare sighed contently, moving his hand from her face to in-between her two palms.

"You know, you're pretty awesome."

"See, I already knew that, so it kind of defeats the point of _learning_."

"Oh hush!" giggled Clare.

"Why am I awesome?"

"I don't know… it's just… when I spent time with KC, it was always kind of awkward, like I liked him, but I wasn't comfortable. But with you, it's just… I'm so relaxed but excited. I don't know, I just adore you."

"I adore you, also, so we're even."

Clare leaned over and kissed him softly. Eli shifted in his chair as he cupped her neck softly, Clare playing with the hairs on the back of his head. With each kiss, Eli scooted closer, until the bottom of the chair was touching the table.

"Excuse me—this is a library for Pete's sake!" mumbled the librarian, going back to her nails. _"Stupid kids."_

They pulled away, and Eli smirked, before leaning in again.

"Ah, ah, ah. I believe I said a little break."

She leaned over her Poetry book, and Eli sighed, leaning back into his chair before grabbing her hand.

"Don't look too down; you can come over after we're done here."

Eli could not keep the grin off of his face for the rest of the visit.

**I tried to update! I did, and I hope you liked it! I adore EAP, so I thought a reference in here would be superb. Review? They make me giggle. *Teehee* Me gusta. **


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! Well, I really do not know where to go with this story. Honestly. So, if you want me to continue, please put in your review or PM me. Also, if you have a suggestion for a new story, or want me to continue another one, please feel free to do the same. I originally was not going to write this right now, but now, I'm at my grandparent's house, watching **_**Keeping Up With The Kardashians**_** on E!, so… I needed another option for stimulation.**

**I truly do not know how to thank you all for reading this story. Being the amateur writer that I am, I get very insecure about my writing. There are a lot of people in the Degrassi fandom, and they do not review very frequently, or, honestly, some are very biased on who they review for (popular writers and such) so the fact that at least some people are reading and enjoying brings the utmost joy to my day. Maybe I'll do an epilogue soon. I don't know.**

**So without further ado, a trying-not-to-be-sappy author brings you chapter 12.**

_**Clare**_

"-and, when you take _x_ and divide that said value by _y_, you will find the average of this certain method of-"

Mr. Armstrong's voice continued to drone as he explained the wonders of finding averages, something everyone in the class had learned in grade 5.

Meanwhile, Clare's mind was drifting off; she remembered how Eli had come over to her house after they had finished studying.

"_Come on, slow poke. We wouldn't want to waste time," winked Eli, and Clare couldn't have been more overwhelmed, in a good way, of course._

"_Hm; if it means teasing you, maybe I'll just take my time…"_

"_Clare…" groaned Eli and she giggled, before running up to the stairs to meet up with him._

_XXX_

"_You know, I can't do anything to you if you won't let me touch you," Clare laughed._

"_Well, Mrs. Edwards, I am a bit lazy, as you know," teased Eli, and Clare had crawled over to him._

_She had cuddled up to him, and kissed him full on the lips, and the night had wondered briefly from there._

The rest of the night had consisted of stealing kisses, watching old movies and laughing, followed by kicking Eli out before her mother had come home.

The events made her blush uncontrollably, and she knew why. She had never been this close to someone in her entire life, and it scared her, though she didn't object. She had strong feelings for him, and she didn't even know how to explain the intensity of it all.

But she didn't care. Because Eli was her rock, her safe place, and nothing else mattered.

She remembered how Darcy had used to come home from school every day and it seemed as if her entire life was based on the male sex. Whether she was on the computer, on the phone, in pictures, or in conversations… it was always about guys. Spinner, Peter… Clare had never understood why Darcy's life was revolved around them.

And she still doesn't.

She really likes Eli, and she knows that. But, Darcy was always so self-assured of her feelings and how she handled things (or at least, she came off that way), but now, Clare wasn't so sure what was going on. She and Eli were definitely moving forward, and Eli knows she is really dedicated to him, but it seems as if there has been an elephant in the room for a while.

Problem is… she wasn't really sure what it was.

**XxX**

Clare entered the cafeteria from a plethora of classes that seemed never-ending, looking across the room keenly. Once she spotted Adam and Eli, she sped over quickly, taking a seat.

"-so you're trying to tell me that if I were to ask her out, you'd pay me money?" sneered Adam, an amused look on his face as he chomped on his sandwich.

"Hypothetically speaking…yes," grinned Eli as he smiled at Clare, holding her hand under the table.

"Dude, you make no sense," droned Adam, rolling his eyes dramatically, and Clare laughed.

"Hold on. Why are you questioning? He's offering you money—don't be stupid, Adam."

"See, the woman sides with me," said Eli, full of mock pride as he held his head up high.

"Um, excuse me! She has a biased opinion. You're dating, it doesn't count," frowned Adam. Eli was laughing obnoxiously at this point, and Clare pinched his arm.

She didn't want them to fight, especially over something like this. They were guys, and Eli of all people could be extremely hardheaded.

"Whatever, man…"

"Listen, I'm not one of those super shy guys who try to hide their feelings. If I want to ask her, I'll go for it, and I don't need you pressuring me to do otherwise," snapped Adam, furious at Eli.

"Okay, okay, enough with the silliness and the ultimatums, someone care to fill me in on this?" she questioned, and Adam sighed.

"I like Katie," he started, and Clare nodded in understanding, "I don't know if she likes me, and macho man just wants me to dive in and ask her out… hence the petty bribe."

"Petty?" gasped Eli, "I think you're forgetting the fact that moi has a girl…"

Adam glared at him, and Clare quickly intervened, "Hey, you didn't do anything. I believe _I _was the one who initiated the first kiss!"

Eli glanced over at her, a flirty smile on his face. "Well, than I guess I'll have to initiate this one…" he trailed off, but Adam groaned loudly.

"Ag, you two make me sick," he whined, and exited from the table.

"You're just jealous," sing-songed Eli, who had turned to face Clare, and she slapped his chest.

"Don't do that," she chastised, and Eli snorted, wrapping his arms around her.

"What is he going to do? Tell my mommy on me?" smiled Eli, feigning terror.

"I'm not trying to get into this, but I think you should stop bugging him," frowned Clare.

"I appreciate the input; I'll think about it."

Clare rolled her eyes, changing the subject.

"Anyway," she dragged out, "what do you say we study up for that English final, eh? Lord knows we need some practice."

"Sounds good," Eli concluded. "We could hang with Adam after."

"Yeah, that is, if he doesn't murder you first."

"Eh, he'll get over it. If he wants to watch his lover get stolen away from right under his nose, then yes, he shouldn't take my advice."

"Eli…" started Clare.

"I'm just trying to be a good friend." He summarized.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job," she huffed, pulling away from him.

Eli noticed her distress, and apologized quickly. "I'm sorry… I act on impulse; I'll smooth things over with him later." He stroked her thumb and she laughed as she looked at him.

"What's so funny, Edwards?"

"It's just… you're telling him to go after her, even though you weren't exactly speedy when it came to making a move on me."

Eli couldn't find words. "Well… I just- that's different. I was afraid of rejection—we were friends; I figured you didn't like me like that…" he rambled on before Clare stopped him.

"Hm," thought Clare, giving him a knowing look.

"Okay, okay. You're right. As always. Are girls as complicated in the mind as we are?" questioned Eli miserably.

Clare giggled, "Oh, we're way worse."

Eli moved the hair out of her face. "Well, you don't seem to be _too _bad, so I think I can deal."

"Oh, shut up," she snapped, and kissed him.

**XxX**

"So for this next issue, because it's Valentine's Day week; I think the Horoscope/Love column should be lengthier— you know, to give the people what they want," Katie ordered bashfully, and Clare was surprised to see the red tint on her face.

"We can tone it down on _Sports_; we could only guess most of the male species will have other priorities rather than reading statistics… but, you never know." Many hands raised, but Katie fanned them away.

"Journalists! I need you to interview at least three couples—two of which are okay with their names in the paper, one is anonymous- but with their consent. We cannot block out their names if we don't have the 'okay'."

Clare wrote on her notepad vigorously as Katie shot out orders. She was already brainstorming couples she could interview—Drew and Bianca, Holly J. and Declan, Owen and Anya…

"Music people—you will put, _"Most Classic and Successful Love Songs Throughout History",_ you know—Barry White, Frank Sinatra, put your own little twist on it—but if I see one Lil Wayne song, you're losing your spot on this paper…" she trailed off. "So! We all know what we're doing; let's make this edition the best one yet!" sighed Katie happily, and everyone sat in their place.

"Chop chop!" she yelled, and the team scurried off, busily at work.

A flustered Katie sauntered over to the cork board, pinning pages of old editions to the side as she collected new ones.

Clare stood behind her, and cleared her throat. "Pardon?" she said.

Katie turned around impatiently. "Yes?" she asked, walking toward the other side of the room to observe the staff.

"Well, I was just wondering… is it _required _that the journalists get an anonymous couple?" asked Clare hesitantly.

"Isn't that what I said?" she huffed as she corrected small things as others typed.

"Um- sorry. I was just clarifying," said Clare submissively.

Katie sighed, her face softening as she turned to look at Clare. "Sorry, I'm always a bit tense at this time of the year."

"Hm," Clare pondered, "Why?"

"Nosy, aren't we?" Katie frowned. "I've never really had a boyfriend—so I never got into the spirit of the holiday. What's the point?"

Clare was surprised as she saw Katie's face visibly drop.

"Oh, I've never really made a big deal out of it, either," said Clare. "Not to be nosy-"

"Too late for that," she smiled, "Go on."

"Well," started Clare. "Are you interested in anyone? I mean… I'd be happy to help you."

"I don't know, Clare… I'm not very trustworthy," stated Katie simply.

Clare nodded, but said, "I just like seeing other people happy, that's all."

"Alright, fine. I actually-"said Katie, but was interrupted by a slamming door.

"Hey!" she yelled, turning around. "Oh… sorry, it's just you, Adam" She laughed.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just… in the hallway; thought I'd stop by," winked Adam, and looked curiously at Clare.

Adam walked towards them, and Katie put a hand on his shoulder, tugging at it lightly, "I know I'm going to regret this, but I have to get the newspaper ready before Monday…" she smiled at him once more before walking towards her desk. "Bye, Clare," she grinned, and Clare was confused.

Adam walked closer to Clare, smiling knowingly. "So, what were you to talking about before I showed up?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, actually, I was just about to get her to tell me who she was interested in… right before you came in. So, thanks," said Clare sardonically.

"Damn it!" groaned Adam, slamming his head into the wall, which caused a shocked look from Katie.

"He forgot to study for an exam…" covered Clare quickly, and dragged Adam out of the room.

"Now I'm pissed off," squealed Adam, putting his head in his hands as he slouched into the lockers, and onto the floor.

"Adam, it's okay. I'll talk to her at the next meeting, maybe even before that!" she said, trying to think positively.

"Ugh, but Valentine's Day is closer than you think, Clare. I appreciate it, though," he pouted.

"I'll still try."

"Try what?" asked Eli, who wrapped his arms around Clare from behind, kissing her cheek.

"Not now with the lovey-dovey's, Eli. We're in crisis mode!" yelled Adam, and Ms. Oh shot him a dirty glare as she walked by them in the hallway.

"Whoa, dude. What happened?"

"What happened is Katie almost told Clare who she was interested in… but _I _interrupted," sighed Adam, looking positively miserable.

"No worries, man. Clare is the master at this type of stuff," Eli concluded, grabbing her hand.

Clare laughed. "Adam, I promise, I'll talk to her again. You can count on me."

Adam nodded, and walked away glumly, while Eli and Clare shared a worried glance.

"See you later?" Clare yelled, and Adam turned around. "When?"

"Do you want to get dinner with Eli and I?" asked Clare, suddenly having an idea.

**XxX**

"You know what I love?" questioned Eli, and Clare shook her head. Clare and Eli were standing in Eli's room against his door, their heads turned to look at each other.

"1984. Orwell's like… a physic. Or something."

"Very well worded," chuckled Clare.

"I try. But, really! Have you read it? I just think it's fascinating…" Eli continued.

Clare looked at Eli and smiled, her face lighting up. It was adorable to see Eli in this light, so to speak. No drama, no worry, just being passionate about the things that he loved.

She thought back briefly to her thoughts in math class and frowned. She really liked him, so what was the problem? He made her laugh, he made her smile, and he made her feel like her entire world was falling apart when they kissed (in a good way).

She had never felt this way. Of course, Eli was her first boyfriend. The first person she had strong feelings for. So… did she? No, no, she couldn't! That was a silly thought. She was way too young to love anyone besides her parents and her sister. But she remembered what Darcy had told her about love.

"_You feel miserable when they aren't around. Whenever you aren't with them, all you can think about is all the good times you've had when they were there. You… you get this feeling in your stomach. Stronger than those butterflies; it's a great feeling. You can't stop smiling…" Darcy had trailed off, a far look in her eyes, and Clare thought she was absolutely crazy._

"Clare?"

"Oops. Sorry. I have a lot on mind."

"Do you want to talk?" Eli looked hesitant.

"It's nothing big. Just thinking about us. So… good things," she sighed, and Eli grinned.

"So I'm on your mind a lot, huh?" asked Eli smugly, turning to stand in front of her.

"Don't flatter yourself," said Clare, flustered.

"It's okay, I think about you a lot, too," said Eli, smiling at her with a look in his eyes.

"Well, than I guess we're on the same page?"

"Great minds think alike," said Eli, moving closer to her.

"So, if I'm one great mind, then who's the other one?" teased Clare, stepping forward.

"Ouch! That would be me, pretty lady," snorted Eli, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I don't think I've kissed you all day," stated Eli knowingly.

"Yes you have."

"Well, I think you may have to refresh my memory…"

Clare kissed him, and Eli half grinned, pressing her into the door. They had never kissed like this before; not because Clare didn't want to—because she certainly did. Just because… they never had any time to themselves. Clare was always at an extracurricular or studying, and when they did hang out, it was usually in public.

Eli wrapped his arms around her, and Clare cupped his neck. They were kissing sweetly now, but Clare was pressed deeply into the door, and Eli was holding her.

"Hm, I think I love you."

"I-"

"Eli!" said Cece, opening the door hastily, causing Eli and Clare to fall onto the floor.

"Oops. What were you two doing on the floor?" she winked knowingly, and the couple looked at each other, flustered.

"We were… talking."

"That's what they all say," Cece laughed, and exited the room.

Eli gulped as he looked at Clare, and she glanced at him wide-eyed.

**So, who said I love you? Leave it in your review! Should I end it with the epilogue as the next chapter? Thanks again for your fabulous reviews. I love you all.**


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